As device makers hope to take on Apple's iPad in 2011, the plethora of devices set to come to market is reportedly placing a significant strain on component makers, which could cause "disruptions" in the global supply of display panels.

According to Taiwan's DigiTimes, the display industry is expected to experience both shortages and excess inventories throughout 2011. iSuppli IHS has predicted that global tablet shipments will more than triple in 2011, reaching 57.6 million units, with Apple retaining the lion's share of shipments with 70.4 percent.

Because the tablet market is growing but the true sales potential remains unknown, display suppliers will be "forced to gamble production capacity on the unrealistically high projections of their tablet customers," said Joe Abelson, vice president of displays at IHS. Manufacturers adopting different display sizes and specs will lead to shortages and excesses in 2011, he predicted.

A side effect of this strain could be heavy discounts on unused displays, or even scrapping of unwanted hardware. iSuppli also believes the demand for netbooks will continue to shrink as tablets grow.

In 2012, iSuppli sees Apple retaining 61.7 percent of the tablet market with the iPad. Competitors are expected to increase their share, splitting up the remaining 38.3 percent of sales.

DigiTimes has previously reported that Apple's overseas partners are set to begin production of the next-generation iPad this month. In all, about a half-million iPads are expected to be assembled as Apple stocks up for a forthcoming launch of the second-generation device.

Forecasts for this year also call for a "breakthrough" in manufacturing of active-matrix organic LED displays. Investments in AMOLED are seen as finally paying off, making the screens more popular in mobile devices, and perhaps even appearing in HDTVs for sale on retail shelves.

The Taiwanese industry publication reported in December that constrained supplies of AMOLED screens would keep the display from Apple's next-generation iPad. The Cupertino, Calif., company will reportedly stick with an LCD screen for the second-generation tablet.

The AMOLED situation will hurt Apple somewhat. Not a lot, but it will have an impact.

It's similar to the situation back when Apple was the first to receive one of the new Intel chips - and was able to ship the Mac Pro with the next generation chips before anyone else simply because Intel couldn't yet produce enough chips for HP or Dell, but had plenty for Apple's needs.

Same thing applies with AMOLED. Eventually, they'll start producing 7 to 10" screens, but the quantity will be far too limited for the iPad at first. That means that the competitors will have a period when they can offer AMOLED screens while the iPad can't (same thing with the iPhone today). This is compounded by the fact that the iPad needs a 10" screen while the competitors are mostly using 7".

With introduction of new technologies, smaller players very often benefit for some time before the big guys can do anything. The public sees this as "Big Company X moves too slowly - look at Little Company Y which already offers this feature" when, in reality, it may simply be component availability.

I doubt if it's going to have all that much impact on sales, but it will activate all the trolls and 'analysts' who will insist that the competitors have passed Apple because of their 'superior' screen technology.

"I'm way over my head when it comes to technical issues like this"Gatorguy 5/31/13

The word "plethora" reminded me of 'phlegm' - something you'd cough up to make yourself feel a little better. Gotta get it out of your system. The execs pushing their companies to cough up these devices aren't visionaries, they aren't changing the world, they aren't leaders, and no one will remember them once they're gone. So they cough these things up, just to make themselves feel better.

The AMOLED situation will hurt Apple somewhat. Not a lot, but it will have an impact.

...
Same thing applies with AMOLED. Eventually, they'll start producing 7 to 10" screens, but the quantity will be far too limited for the iPad at first. That means that the competitors will have a period when they can offer AMOLED screens while the iPad can't (same thing with the iPhone today). This is compounded by the fact that the iPad needs a 10" screen while the competitors are mostly using 7".

With introduction of new technologies, smaller players very often benefit for some time before the big guys can do anything. The public sees this as "Big Company X moves too slowly - look at Little Company Y which already offers this feature" when, in reality, it may simply be component availability.

I doubt if it's going to have all that much impact on sales, but it will activate all the trolls and 'analysts' who will insist that the competitors have passed Apple because of their 'superior' screen technology.

I don't think AMOLED will have any impact at all. Besides nerds and tech-guys, nobody really cares. AMOLED is and will be much dimmer than LED-backlit for a long time coming. I think if a customer decides because of the display, he will take the iPad, just because it's much brighter.

You might argue now that AMOLED has better contrast because of better blacks.
But Apple still has some room to improve on the iPads LED-Screen. Remember the iPhone4 has an LED backlit LCD-Screen, like the iPad. But the iPhones blacklevels are just fantastic compared to the iPad. There's definitely room to improve.

The word "plethora" reminded me of 'phlegm' - something you'd cough up to make yourself feel a little better. Gotta get it out of your system. The execs pushing their companies to cough up these devices aren't visionaries, they aren't changing the world, they aren't leaders, and no one will remember them once they're gone. So they cough these things up, just to make themselves feel better.

Just curious. It seems a strange connection for you to make. Was it based on the first letter or some experience in life that connected these two disparate words in your mind?

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"

I've seen some of the "breakthrough" AMOLED displays. In fact, I have one right here. They have some nice qualities, including relatively low power usage and brightness. The resolution is pretty good, too, but the color quality is not great. OLEDs are opposite to LCDs. In LCDs, the difficultly is creating a good black. OLEDs have great blacks, but they have poor whites. As you can imagine, a bad white is more noticeable than a bad black is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markus1982

I don't think AMOLED will have any impact at all. Besides nerds and tech-guys, nobody really cares. AMOLED is and will be much dimmer than LED-backlit for a long time coming. I think if a customer decides because of the display, he will take the iPad, just because it's much brighter.

OLEDs are very bright -- brighter than LCD -- but the whites are "dirty."

The AMOLED situation will hurt Apple somewhat. Not a lot, but it will have an impact.

It's similar to the situation back when Apple was the first to receive one of the new Intel chips - and was able to ship the Mac Pro with the next generation chips before anyone else simply because Intel couldn't yet produce enough chips for HP or Dell, but had plenty for Apple's needs.

Same thing applies with AMOLED. Eventually, they'll start producing 7 to 10" screens, but the quantity will be far too limited for the iPad at first. ...

Your argument is predicated on the idea that Apple might use OLED screens for iPads, but this will never happen unless the OLED technology evolves to be something it currently isn't.

Apple has always prided itself on it's displays and has a great following of artists and visual arts professionals who have always bought Macs for exactly that reason. Apple *always* has the best displays, even back to the CRT days, and colour accuracy/fidelity is the most important aspect of that.

OLED screens "pop" and appear vividly coloured to the average person, and that sells. They also have ridiculously great contrast and probably would work well in the average television set sold at WalMart.

They *don't* however, have anything even close to accurate colour reproduction and will never be used in an Apple product unless they change so much it wouldn't be fair to compare them to the OLED screens we are talking about today. Apple is not going to screw over it's oldest customer base just cause the average person likes over-saturated colours.

I read a Macworld article today where some sources feel that the iPad 2 will be pushed back to April partly due to supply issues, more worrying for anyone outside of the States is that iPad 2's might not ship until July outside of the US..... Hopefully if the iPad 2 does get pushed back to April it will mean that Apple has built up enough stock to at least supply the states and it's strongest markets such as the UK etc on release date rather than shafting everyone but Americans (which seems to be an Apple tradition).

Apple has always prided itself on it's displays and has a great following of artists and visual arts professionals who have always bought Macs for exactly that reason. Apple *always* has the best displays, even back to the CRT days, and colour accuracy/fidelity is the most important aspect of that.

That may be true for the decades before but not anymore; today I'd would not say Apple make the best displays per picture quality or color accuracy.

The AMOLED situation will hurt Apple somewhat. Not a lot, but it will have an impact.

It's similar to the situation back when Apple was the first to receive one of the new Intel chips - and was able to ship the Mac Pro with the next generation chips before anyone else simply because Intel couldn't yet produce enough chips for HP or Dell, but had plenty for Apple's needs.

Same thing applies with AMOLED. Eventually, they'll start producing 7 to 10" screens, but the quantity will be far too limited for the iPad at first. That means that the competitors will have a period when they can offer AMOLED screens while the iPad can't (same thing with the iPhone today). This is compounded by the fact that the iPad needs a 10" screen while the competitors are mostly using 7".

With introduction of new technologies, smaller players very often benefit for some time before the big guys can do anything. The public sees this as "Big Company X moves too slowly - look at Little Company Y which already offers this feature" when, in reality, it may simply be component availability.

I doubt if it's going to have all that much impact on sales, but it will activate all the trolls and 'analysts' who will insist that the competitors have passed Apple because of their 'superior' screen technology.

I don't see any other tablet using an AMOLED screen this year. They're still very expensive in that size. And what bothers me, is the talk of just how bright these screens are, when every test shows them to be at the bottom of the heap in brightness. It seems as though the black background is making people think that the whites are much brighter than they are. Meanwhile, the iPhone screen is at least twice as bright as the brightest screen of the newest phones using them. They also use more power than those promoting them want to admit.

I think Apple will use AMOLEDS when the cost comes down, and the brightness and power demands are better.

I've seen some of the "breakthrough" AMOLED displays. In fact, I have one right here. They have some nice qualities, including relatively low power usage and brightness. The resolution is pretty good, too, but the color quality is not great. OLEDs are opposite to LCDs. In LCDs, the difficultly is creating a good black. OLEDs have great blacks, but they have poor whites. As you can imagine, a bad white is more noticeable than a bad black is.

OLEDs are very bright -- brighter than LCD -- but the whites are "dirty."

No, they're not bright at all. In fact, even the best of them are dim when compared to a good Backlit LCD, and I'm really tired of reading how bright they are. Even the latest generation of AMOLEDs from Samsung are much dimmer than the iPhone 4 screen.

In addition, Apple received a couple of patents lately that can make LCd backlights much brighter, and more color accurate. When we'll see the results of that, I don't know. But LCDs have some room for improvement yet.

Apple has been well known to place huge orders of components that create shortages for other manufacturers. Flash memory is a component that is likely to be a blister on the feet of the competitors for the tablet race of 2011. Ever notice how many Android phones do not contain much built in memory? It's likely due to supply and costs. Looking at the isuppli cost estimates for the iPad. on a 32g iPad, the memory cost, at $59.00 is second only to the display. It would seem that shortages and high costs for memory are another factor that will make it difficult for several tablet manufacturers to match Apple's costs and price. Not to mention that Apple could possibly lower the price of the iPad by $100 to further disrupt the competitions' plans. I'm interested in seeing how Apple plays this out in the next month or so and am crossing my fingers that there'll be a price reduction along with increased features.

OLEDs are very bright -- brighter than LCD -- but the whites are "dirty."

Isn’t that a straw man argument since LCD’s require a backlight or are you saying that OLEDs are brighter than LED backlights? Anecdotally, the iPhone 4’s LED backlight beats any AMOLED device I’ve compared it to.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

I hope Apple stays away from AMOLED as long as possible. Sure, they're bright and have deep black levels, but the image quality stinks (relatively) and color accuracy is pure crap, and from what I've seen they get washed out in sunlight worse than LCD. SAMOLED (Super AMOLED) is an improvement, but any OLED tech still has quite a ways to go before it reaches the same image quality as LCD.

There is also plenty of evidence to suggest that AMOLED also consumes significantly *more* power than LCD. If you keep your interface mostly black most of the time, then sure AMOLED might use less power, but unlike LED-backlit-LCD which keeps the screen illuminated with a handful of LEDs, once you have to turn on some colors with OLED, those thousands of LEDs start drinkin' the juice, and if you have to display something white - look out, cause you have to turn 'em all on - Ka Pow! Last time I checked, most web sites have white backgrounds....

As on screen issue, were looking at another 3 years before AMOLED's are at right price, right supplies, and better current market offerings, and any other point i've may of missed... this is were the deal of buying out Sony would of come in handy, they would have a ready made infrastructure for product manufacturing as-well as new markets too enter, i think Apple will move into this direction soon, the signs are already out there, retail outlet chain, design own chips, expansion of brand with many products, may move into design of other internal parts, etc.

I kind of expect Apple to stick with 1024x768 for cost and availability reasons, giving the iPad 2 some color/contrast improvements but nothing close to a “retina display.”

But if they DO bump up the res, I predict they’ll still maintain 1024x768 on the lowest model(s) to keep the entry cost low, and to relieve pressure on makers of the higher-res new display. (Maybe they’ll keep selling the iPad 1 as a low-end model, the way they still sell the iPhone 3GS.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jragosta

The AMOLED situation will hurt Apple somewhat. Not a lot, but it will have an impact.

You make an interesting point that a company that only sells a few devices can incorporate new components that aren’t yet widely available. However, by definition, without large-scale mass production, such components won’t impact the market as much, nor build up a large user base.

AMOLED’s nice in total darkness. So is the current iPad (not AS nice with the blacks, but still nice)... but an even better iPad display is likely coming soon. Meanwhile, in many other ways, for many other situations, AMOLED is inferior. ALMOED won’t affect iPad sales nor customer satisfaction significantly.

The best quality display now, in the widest range of usage scenarios, with the longest device life, is enhanced IPS LCD (not the original IPS) with an LED backlight, and high resolution. That’s what Apple offers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by solipsism

Based on new evidence the iPad’s display resolution will not be updated for the iPad 2.

Because hidden camera icons found in 4.3 beta are at the same old res? I thought the same thing when I read that.

Now, Apple could just be smart enough not to bundle the high-res assets and give too much away, so there’s still SOME hope. A little. But higher-res 10” panels just sound cost-prohibitive to me. I’d love to be wrong, but it feels like wishful thinking.

I kind of expect Apple to stick with 1024x768 for cost and availability reasons, giving the iPad 2 some color/contrast improvements but nothing close to a “retina display.”

But if they DO bump up the res, I predict they’ll still maintain 1024x768 on the lowest model(s) to keep the entry cost low, and to relieve pressure on makers of the higher-res new display. (Maybe they’ll keep selling the iPad 1 as a low-end model, the way they still sell the iPhone 3GS.)

1) I have a feeling the lowest capacity cellular models will be dropped along with the highest capacity WiFi model as these seem to be the weakest sellers. This will mean 2xWiFi-only, 2xWiFi+GSM/UMTS, and 2xWiFi=CDMA/EVDO. That’s still 6 total models just like they have now.

2) I think the display could get a brighter yet more power efficient backlight and the display components melded together like the iPhone 4’s display making it look better and making it thinner. IOW, it will be improved,even if the resolution stays the same.

3) The iPad is a Retina Display, you just have to hold it more than 26” away from your eyes.

3438 x 1/132 ppi = 26”

Quote:

Because hidden camera icons found in 4.3 beta are at the same old res? I thought the same thing when I read that.

Now, Apple could just be smart enough not to bundle the high-res assets and give too much away, so there’s still SOME hope. A little. But higher-res 10” panels just sound cost-prohibitive to me. I’d love to be wrong, but it feels like wishful thinking.

Yeah, I thought about that, too, but Apple hasn’t tried to be that clever in the past. Weren’t there icons and pointers to the 960x640 display in iOS 4.0 betas?

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

No, they're not bright at all. In fact, even the best of them are dim when compared to a good Backlit LCD, and I'm really tired of reading how bright they are. Even the latest generation of AMOLEDs from Samsung are much dimmer than the iPhone 4 screen.

So you conclude, probably from reading a datasheet of an old product. But I have a prototype in front of me, and it is MUCH brighter than my iPhone LCD is. I can control the brightness through linux, 0-255. It is painful to the eyes, literally, when the brightness is above 100.

Quote:

Originally Posted by solipsism

Isn’t that a straw man argument since LCD’s require a backlight or are you saying that OLEDs are brighter than LED backlights? Anecdotally, the iPhone 4’s LED backlight beats any AMOLED device I’ve compared it to.

OLEDs are still probably one generation away from being good enough for devices like the iPhone/iPad, but the brightness issue has clearly been solved in the newest gen. As far as the backlight, you could increase the power of the backlight, but then you are draining power. OLEDs only use power where they are being illuminated. LCDs operate on the principle of blocking the backlight.

The Taiwanese industry publication reported in December that constrained supplies of AMOLED screens would keep the display from Apple's next-generation iPad. The Cupertino, Calif., company will reportedly stick with an LCD screen for the second-generation tablet.

I for one think LCD is very mature and Apple's iOS devices should stick with it instead of the pen tile crap used by the AMOLED screens. A Retina Display for iPad 2 would be a welcome surprise, but I'm not holding my breath for it.

... apple and SJ have worked their contracts and volumes-best price, best volumes best delivery date. SJ is fleet of foot, and we know who will win the race. ...

Agree. Apple has already cornered the flash memory market. They are the largest consumer of flash memory in the world, and thus get the lowest per-unit prices. Other manufacturers are forced to out-bid each other for the rest of the available supply, which hurts their margins.

Apple has also avoided paying off-the-shelf prices for their A4 chips, since they use their own custom design. That has probably cooled off the Intel relationship a bit. Remember when Apple used to get new Intel CPUs first? Not any more. (And, as an aside, even Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 will be ported to ARM. Two whole years from now at the earliest.)

Now Apple is working hard to get the best deals on touchscreen displays. Considering that iPad has about 96% of the pad computing market at the moment, it looks like Apple can get those deals.

As for AMOLED, let's remember that Apple doesn't blindly adopt the latest technology. Yes, Apple's industrial design is cutting edge, and yes, Steve can be eager use new technology. But only if it's mature enough to mass-produce, and only if it suits Apple's long-term goals.

Apple never directly supported Blu-Ray and never will. Plastic discs don't help Apple rent or sell videos on iTunes, so Blu-Ray gets thrown down the useless technology staircase. AMOLED screens just aren't quite good enough yet in color accuracy, brightness, and still cost too much. But when those problems are solved I'm sure Apple will join the party. AMOLED-based touchscreens can and will help Apple make even thinner iDevices. And Apple will be able to leverage their mass-purchasing power to get the best deals. All over again.

So you conclude, probably from reading a datasheet of an old product. But I have a prototype in front of me, and it is MUCH brighter than my iPhone LCD is. I can control the brightness through linux, 0-255. It is painful to the eyes, literally, when the brightness is above 100.

Have they solved the OLED degradation factor yet. iPhones remain some of the most long lasting devices in the market. We can probably expect the same from the iPad. If the screen is going to appreciably degrade before its average life expectancy, that might reflect badly on Apple's top quality reputation.

OLED screens "pop" and appear vividly coloured to the average person, and that sells. They also have ridiculously great contrast and probably would work well in the average television set sold at WalMart.

Amoled screens remind me of the flouro on black velvet pictures of Elvis you could buy in the seventies, no doubt they appeal to the same people why buy "art" at Walmart.

>insert sad clown emoticon here<

Quote:

Originally Posted by emulator

That may be true for the decades before but not anymore; today I'd would not say Apple make the best displays per picture quality or color accuracy.

Colour accuracy and Amoled could not possibly belong in the same sentence, garish, overly bright reds put paid to that.

Better than my Bose, better than my Skullcandy's, listening to Mozart through my LeBron James limited edition PowerBeats by Dre is almost as good as my Sennheisers.

Based on new evidence the iPads display resolution will not be updated for the iPad 2.

Just curious - Does anyone hereabouts have any real objection or hardship with the current iPad display? I have played extensively with a friend's iPad and to these 68-year-old eyes, the screen looks great. I haven't noticed any eye fatigue or other vision issues, but of course, everyone's different.

Just curious - Does anyone hereabouts have any real objection or hardship with the current iPad display? I have played extensively with a friend's iPad and to these 68-year-old eyes, the screen looks great. I haven't noticed any eye fatigue or other vision issues, but of course, everyone's different.

I wish the display was brighter and glass had a more effective oleophobic coating. My first request could eliminate much of my 2nd request. Thats only real issue with it I have. Higher resolution would be nice, but I dont expect nor will I feel Apple personally attacked me if its not updated.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

Based on new evidence the iPads display resolution will not be updated for the iPad 2.

Who knows? A new report today said that it would be. Me? I'm not going to speculate or worry about it. We've got less than two months to go before it's here, and less than that before Jobs tells us what it's got.

Who knows? A new report today said that it would be. Me? I'm not going to speculate or worry about it. We've got less than two months to go before it's here, and less than that before Jobs tells us what it's got.

The evidence to which I refer are the 1024x768 shutter and camera images found iOS for iPad v4.3b1. Images that would make no sense to include unless it's software misdirection or they plan to release to release new iPads with cameras and multiple display resolutions. To me, both sound un-Apple-like.

I’m much more inclined to believe some visual evidence than a rumour of an undefined “retina display” and some other very crazy things.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

So you conclude, probably from reading a datasheet of an old product. But I have a prototype in front of me, and it is MUCH brighter than my iPhone LCD is. I can control the brightness through linux, 0-255. It is painful to the eyes, literally, when the brightness is above 100.

From handling the latest Samsung, and also reading the test reports and comparisons of the se new models with other models out. I haven' yet seen what I'd call a bright AMOLED. A lot of people are fooled by the dark black. The whites seem to "pop". But it still isn't very bright.

Quote:

OLEDs are still probably one generation away from being good enough for devices like the iPhone/iPad, but the brightness issue has clearly been solved in the newest gen. As far as the backlight, you could increase the power of the backlight, but then you are draining power. OLEDs only use power where they are being illuminated. LCDs operate on the principle of blocking the backlight.

We really can't talk about prototypes. I've got lots of prototypes here. Some are better than others. I have a small Kodak panel that's VERY bright. But the lifetime is too short. Until they're IN a product, they don't matter. What we must talk about is what exists. And from what I see, so far, none of the phones that are out with AMOLEDS are all that bright.

Even in the test report I'm linking to, the photo's of the phones are useless. They are obviously not in a situation where brightness can be used as a comparison, as they're indoors, and auto brightness is being left on. Nevertheless, the numbers don't lie, even if the persons eyes are accommodating.

I wish the display was brighter and glass had a more effective oleophobic coating. My first request could eliminate much of my 2nd request. Thats only real issue with it I have. Higher resolution would be nice, but I dont expect nor will I feel Apple personally attacked me if its not updated.

Apple has several new LED backlight patents. They look very good. When they will be used, I have no idea.

The evidence to which I refer are the 1024x768 shutter and camera images found iOS for iPad v4.3b1. Images that would make no sense to include unless it's software misdirection or they plan to release to release new iPads with cameras and multiple display resolutions. To me, both sound un-Apple-like.

Im much more inclined to believe some visual evidence than a rumour of an undefined retina display and some other very crazy things.

Who knows? I've seen these little touches in unreleased Apple OS's before that ended up meaning nothing. It could also be an error. I've seen that too.